Montgomery Group announces "Product Revolution;" no model to be left untouched

HAMBURG, GERMANY - 18 April 2006 - Long accused of well-engineered but bland product, Montgomery AG has announced a new product drive, which will result in more distinctive designs in the years to come.

"You can expect to see the first fruits of this 'product revolution' this September," said the CEO, alluding to the upcoming Paris Motor Show.

The Icon, although still selling strongly, has been showing signs of fatigue in its pace; this has been blamed on its derivative styling, which has been panned for being too "generic." The Icon's mid-life facelift, due for introduction this fall, will be much more extensive than originally planned, insiders say.

Better value, better styling, better quality

As a part of their new product plan, Montgomery have outlined three areas for improvement - value, styling, and quality.

In the United States, most Montgomerys are priced above domestic and Japenese competition, but this gap will narrow significantly in the coming years, largely due to the introduction of "value" models. Long accused of bland design, Montgomery will soon unveil a new styling direction, which is still reportedly undergoing its final touches.

"The new SV100, which is the first all-new model under this new program, will be a revolution," said Montgomery's CEO in recent interview. "It will be in a class by itself in terms of quality, style, dynamics, and practicality, while staying close to the price of the current model."

What's new?Quite a lot, they claim. And indeed this is one of the more significant facelifts we've seen in a while - compare the newest SV100 to its immediate forbear, for example, and you'll be hard-pressed to find the differences; the revised Icon meanwhile could almost count as a new generation going by looks alone, so extensive are the modifications.

Underneath, however, things remain largely the same as before. The suspension has been subtly tweaked for better chassis response, but the big news here revolves around the steering: the old rack has been sacked completely, to make way for a new Shannon-derived unit. Prices are identical to the outgoing model.

What's it like?Its looks are definitely funkier (at least up front), but line it up next to newer rivals, such as the Citroen C4 and Vauxhall Astra, and the Icon begins to look a bit staid. That said, its looks are considerably improved over the previous car's drab design.

Stepping inside, anyone experienced with the old Icon will find a familiar yet subtly different interior. It's made of slightly higher-quality stuff; the door panels, steering wheel and control panel are new. As before, everything is screwed together solidly.

The Icon wasn't exactly in desperate need for chassis revisions, its dynamics having always been near the vanguard of its class. However, the changes (and improvements) to the oily bits are apparent as soon as you round a corner. The Icon's old steering rack got the job done but didn't stand out among its peers; now, however, the car steers almost as if it were an extension of your arm, telling you all the things you want to know and few of the things you don't.

The ride is a bit firmer than before, but this car is still an able mile-eater. The 1.8-litre turbodiesel four-pot and six-speed manumatic transmission, carried over unchanged from the old car (although the transmission gets a new name, 'Duonic'), adds to the Icon's motorway-loving nature.

Should I buy one?The outgoing Icon was already an excellent car; these latest improvements only enhance its appeal. Build quality is up to Golf standards, while the chassis revisions and brand-new steering make the Icon a true driver's car and, indeed, a real threat to the Focus. All these factors combined, along with value above the class average, add up to what could very well be the new segment leader.

SV, I found myself thinking about what wheels I'd like to put on an Icon if I owned one. I think that speaks to the realism of not only your drawings, but the entire project you've built with your brands. Again, I really admire your dedication (and your patience); I wish I were as meticulous.

A little similar but it does mention some features on the icon. I think this is an american review. It's not labeled under anything. Maybe I will post it as edmunds with some of my touches. I could supposedly do a proper review.

Quote, originally posted by Edmunds.com »

Montgomery Icon LX 1.8 6AT

The 2007 Montgomery Icon has had a siginificant facelift. This facelift could be a new generation model. The company said that over 1,000 changes were done to this car. Some are noticeable and some aren't.

Underneath those changes are mostly the same but a Shannon derived steering rack is used, which gives the icon better dynamics. The prices largely remain the same which makes it a good value if priced right.

The looks are much different but it does look quite good when compared to the mazda 3. It's a big change to the bland looks which were critisized. It does share some resemblance to the Audi A3 in some areas. We do like the LED taillamps.

The interior is good but they have improved the quality of it. . Some of the interior pieces are new and some are carry overs. It does fare well when compared to the mazda 3.

The sound system is good and we really liked the voice activated GPS system when compared to our test car. The Touch Screen Navi system also contained bluetooth which works well. We found it as good as the honda system which we like very much. Montgomery said an iPod adaptor is coming shortly for all the ipod fans out there. Our car did come with an aux input so we could hook up any mp3 player we wished.

Performance is very good when compared to the Mazda 3. It's smaller but does the job. The shannon derived steering rack does quite good for it's class. Ride is great while not being to firm. The 158 hp engine does a great job of moving this car while getting good gas mileage. 0-60 was 8.0 seconds. We think it's the best combination of performance and fuel economy. A rumor that a 50 state compatible diesel is under way. No plans on hybrid just yet. The manumatic transmission works great. They now call it duonic. It provides smooth shifts for a manumatic. It does make it a nice addition when its competition have to cut costs in some areas.

The previous Icon was a great car. Now the competition have noticed and started making better cars. Build quality is superb along with the steering and chassis revisions. The company does hint an RSport version to compete with the Evo and STi. If you combine all of this could easily be the leader in compact hatcbacks.

Pros: Great Performance, Interior Build Quality, Handling, Audio. Great Manumatic Transmission. LED's.Cons: Cup Holders not the biggest. Some cheap parts in the interior. Looks may be a bit too boldOverall: A segment Leader.

try to be more fluent,some of your periods could be commasfor example:"Underneath those changes are mostly the same but a Shannon derived steering rack is used. This gives it much better dynamics. The prices largely remain the same which makes it a good value if priced right." when it could say this for example.... :"Underneath, things are mostly the same except the Shannon derived steering rack, which gives the icon much better driving dynamics" just my 2-cents

try to be more fluent,some of your periods could be commasfor example:"Underneath those changes are mostly the same but a Shannon derived steering rack is used. This gives it much better dynamics. The prices largely remain the same which makes it a good value if priced right." when it could say this for example.... :"Underneath, things are mostly the same except the Shannon derived steering rack, which gives the icon much better driving dynamics" just my 2-cents